Friday, April 21, 2017

Wow I have not written in FOREVER. Life just seems to have a way of getting ahead of me, and I have found myself doing life updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but nothing much on this blog (er, nothing AT ALL on my blog, let's be honest here!) So I thought I'd just check in to let any readers who happen to stumble upon this neglected blog know what I am up to and and where you can follow Jumbled Sunshine on the web!

Shoulder Surgery

Currently, I am recovering from shoulder surgery, and I'll tell you, it has been a SLOG! It's my second one in two years, this time on my right shoulder, last time on my left. NOT FUN, I'll tell you! If you've ever had rotator cuff surgery or bicep tendon repair, you have total understanding of how LONG it takes to recuperate from this crazy surgery. But it will all be worth it, because I was constantly dealing with daily pain due to four tears in my right shoulder (yes, you read that right - FOUR - I never do anything half-way, haha) and so it was just time to take care of it and get back on the road to recovery!The Miracle Morning: A Life-Changing Book

ANYWAY - I haven't been completely absent from internet-land, even though I've neglected my blog. In fact, in February I started a new program called "The Miracle Morning" which is detailed in a book you can find here: https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Morning. It is one of those amazing, it-can-change-your-life books that I highly, highly recommend!

Why I Love "Reading" Books on Audible

What makes the book even better is the fact that you can purchase it in all sorts of formats, paperback, kindle, and my favorite, Audible format. I have found my reading has increased dramatically since I started listening to audiobooks on the Audible app. I am able to read nearly every single day now, thanks to my subscription, which I've had for about 3 years.

You can buy Audible books without a subscription too, so no worries if you don't want a commitment. But if you get the monthly subscription (I do the one that's $14.95 each month and gives me one free book per month) you will also get a discount on all purchases on their site. And if you watch for sales (including the deal-of-the-day email, which I keep my eye on faithfully) you can just get dozens and dozens of classics and best-sellers for great prices.

It's sooooo much cheaper than the days of buying audiobooks on CD!! (or borrowing from the library and dealing with scratches and/or paying for it when you lose a CD or have one melt in the car.... not that I would know anything about that, cough, cough....)

But this post is not supposed to be about being an advertisement for Audible! I am off-track as usual... but I just truly love listening to my audiobooks everywhere I go! I will add a disclaimer here that I have an affiliate account with Amazon, so if you click on any of my Amazon links (including Audible books) I will get a small commission (like really, really small, pennies in fact) if you end up purchasing though that link. And just FYI, it won't cost you any more than if you just purchase something regularly on Amazon. BUT ANYWAY, I DIGRESS....

My Miracle Morning Journey and Vlog

Back to the point ... I started doing this Miracle Morning thing in January, and decided to vlog about it, kind of out of the blue. Yeah, honestly, I just turned on my camera on the first day and recorded my thoughts, not sure if it would be just for myself, or if I would actually share it on YouTube. But after recording for several days, I found that I was getting so much out of the process of doing a Miracle Morning Routine, that I wanted to share it with others. So... I have a full 30-Day vlog journey recorded, all about trying out a Miracle Morning routine for myself!!

As of the date of this blog post, only about half of my journey is published online, as I've had to take a break from editing and uploading videos, due to my shoulder surgery and recuperation, but I do have the rest of the days recorded and I will finish posting them again soon, as soon as I have the ability to sit and my desk and work without a ton of pain. So.... that's the main thing I've been up to online so far in 2017, besides finally joining Instagram! Yep, I finally gave in. :)

You can see all of the videos about my Miracle Morning Journey on my fairly-new YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFNBr4E2jhzSky2kDQr3q0A And in fact, if you could take just an eensy-teensy second to visit my channel and click the SUBSCRIBE button, it would help me out a ton!! Why? Because I have to have 100 subscribers before I can have a customized URL, and you have to agree that UCFHBr-blah-blah-blah is not an easy-to-remember link!! So, if you can help me get to 100 subscribers, I can change my channel URL to something like youtube.com/channel/jumbledsunshine and that would be SO MUCH BETTER, don't you think??

Subscribing to my channel doesn't mean you'll get annoying emails or anything, it just means that when you login to YouTube, my channel will be listed under the "Subscription" section, and you will get suggestions of videos by me when you are browsing YouTube. If you have the YouTube app, it sends occasional notifications about your subscriptions to your phone, but you can totally turn them off if you don't like them. So what are you waiting for?? I promise that if you learn about this Miracle Morning thing and find a way to get yourself to actually do it, you will be SO BLESSED and it will make a huge difference in your life! I know this because it helped me so much.

Jumbled Sunshine Vlog Sample

Here's a little sample from Day 9, the day after I found out about needing shoulder surgery. The summary as published on YouTube reads as follows: "On Day 9 of my Miracle Morning 30-Day Challenge, I talk about the importance of facing our fears when we have hard things going on in our lives. Also, what fun things do you do with your family when there’s a 4-day weekend? Share in the comments below! :) Thanks for watching! ~JS~ "

Well, that's about it for today's post, because I need to get some ice on my shoulder, have a mid-morning snack, and go watch some of my favorite YouTubers to help motivate me to get back to posting on my channel as soon as physically possible. :) I'm super excited about it, and I hope you decide to join me for the journey!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Queen's Poisoner to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, so I can't comment on this.

What other book might you compare The Queen's Poisoner to and why?

I can't think of any other titles off-hand to compare it to. I liked the setting in a castle, intrigue between nations, family conflicts, magical twists and turns. A protagonist who doesn't understand his powers... it's similar to other books, but with a unique view of magic through a "fountain" and the whole concept of being "fountain-blessed" was interesting.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

She did a really good job on interpreting various characters. I especially liked her interpretation of the protagonist's best friend, who was a chatty girl with a wonderful personality. My only complaint is that the voice she used for the main character was a bit whiny, which didn't seem to fit how I would have imagined him to sound if I were just reading it. Also, the way she did the voice of the Queen's Poisoner was a little overdone when she was being "sweet" to the little boy. I did like how she showed that the woman was ill through her voice. Overall, well done.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The one thing that constantly drove me crazy was how all of the adults around the young protagonist tell him about things way beyond the level that you would normally explain to an 8-year-old. They give so many details of intrigue, facts about the history of the realm, and personality conflicts, that it was hard for even me, as an adult, to follow along and keep up with everything. It would have been way above the head of a young child. I realize that this is a "special" child, but still, would you talk to any child about members of the royal family killing and poisoning each other, women being "forced", and abstract concepts that are not even physically processed by young minds until adolescence? It was just a bit too much. I feel that if the protagonist had been at least 10 or 11, it would have been more believable.

Any additional comments?

I liked this book quite well, it was interesting and compelling enough to keep me listening. The premise with fountain-blessed magic is unique, and I enjoyed the various characters and their diverse personalities. By simply ignoring the age issue, I was able to really enjoy the story line. I am looking forward to reading the next installment, to see what happens next in the lives of these characters. :)

Friday, June 5, 2015

If you like any of my designs and want to order some nail jams, it has to be done through my Jamberry site by purchasing a gift certificate. Honestly, I'm still figuring it all out, but contact me and I'll get you the information on ordering! :D

You can see more of my custom designs (as I upload them) on my Facebook page. See you there! :)

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Tonight the Choir Students at Payson High School had a fabulous final concert! The spring concert is a lot of fun because they do lots of great music from the best Broadway shows, along with simple choreography that just makes it a ton of fun and great way to end a fabulous year.

It makes me so anxious to find a way to get back into more choral and stage productions. We shall see how the next few years play out and see if I can make time for this passion of mine that has been neglected.

To see all the pics, click on the link to visit the full album on Google Plus.
Love these kids!!

Disclaimer:

This blog contains the unique thoughts of the author and does not represent the views, official or otherwise, of any group, club, religion, or family of which she is a member. All thoughts, suggestions, and techniques are for entertainment and experimentation only, and blog readers acknowledge by their participation that they are aware of all risks, inherent or otherwise, they are getting themselves into by following said techniques. In other words, the author is not liable for any disasters that result from implementation of the ideas herein. However, she will be happy to join in your celebration when you find success on your own journey of finding joy in a fascinating world of distractions! Please share your stories with our readers so we can all learn and grow together in our world of Jumbled Sunshine. :) ~Erika~